Untouchable
by Don'tGoLeftGoRight
Summary: What if the odds had been in their favor?
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

A shiver of excitement runs through me as the clock ticks down from 60. Despite the circumstances, I'm excited. How can I not be I've prepared for this my whole life. I'll show my father that I'm not worthless. I'm not. I can do this.

I share a glance with Cato. He doesn't look angry, which is strange. He really should, considering I threw half of the knives in the dining room at him. He never should have volunteered. But he did. It felt good, letting it loose at him.

He grins at me arrogantly. For once, I grin back. We brace ourselves, there's only a few seconds left. Then, the gong rings and the screaming starts.

I race over to the cornucopia, brutally shoving a small girl over. She yelps, and I grab my knives. I smile at her coldly, and with a flick of my wrist, my knife flies into her chest. Her eyes go wide, and then blank. My first kill. Another shiver runs through me.

I don't hesitate as I leap onto the back of the District Four boy and slit his throat. I briefly consider doing that to Glimmer, she's too pretty for my tastes, but I know Marvel will want her. He's wasting his time with her.

I find another girl, District Six, racing away with a tiny pack. My knife lodges into the back of her head, and she falls onto her face. I grin, and then I see Katpiss wrestling with Ten over the backpack.

A knife imbeds itself in his back, and Katpiss turns and flees. I roll my eyes, and send a knife spinning towards her head. But it doesn't hit her like I thought it would. She pulls her pack up at the last second and covers her head. Then, she's gone. I snarl, and run back to the bloodbath. There's none left now, except for us.

All around us, dead bodies litter the grass. A tiny pang of guilt hits me, but I ignore it. From the looks of it, there's only thirteen of us left. I see them gathered around a tribute. When I join them, I notice that it's Peeta. Cato looks second away from gutting him with his already bloody sword.

"Why's he still alive?" I ask Cato. "Shouldn't he be dead by now?"

Cato shrugs. "Probably. But Peeta here says that he can help us."

I laugh. "Really? With _what_? Give me a break."

The boy is dead pale. "I can help you find Katniss," he squeaks. "I know her, I know where she'll hide."  
I raise my eyebrows, and lean in close. "Really, Loverboy? We're not stupid. You'll lead us right past us. _That's_ what you'll do. Then, when the time is right, you'll run off and go be allies with her," I turn to the others. "Let's just kill him now."

I expect them to agree, but Cato doesn't. He looks bloodthirsty now. He's hated the Everdeen girl all along, but when she beat him with her 11, he's wanted to kill her slowly and brutally. And he will. Of course he will.

"No, he can tag along," he says. Peeta's face brightens. "But one wrong move, and you're dead. Got that?"

Peeta nods.

I roll my eyes. "Congratulations, Cato. You've managed to make a dumbass decision within the first ten minutes of the games."

Everyone draws in a breath. They don't know that Cato and I used to be friends, that I can cross the lines. I must be looking pretty suicidal. But Cato turns around, and glares at me. I give him a little smirk, and he growls, and turns off towards the cornucopia.

I roll my eyes and smile snidely, and walk beside Marvel. He's chuckling under his breath.

"_That_," he says. "was very, very funny."

I roll my eyes. "Someone has to let Cato know he's a dumbass. I've had that job for years."

"And he doesn't get mad?" Marvel asks.

"Yeah, he'll throw a tantrum, but that's what he always does," I say loudly, so he can her. Cato turns around slowly and gives me the bird. I graciously give it back.

I head over the the supplies, and begin to sort things out. I grab a sleeping bag and a part of the food, and put it in the tent I'll have to stay in with Glimmer. I wrinkle my nose in disgust. A slumberparty. Great.

"When should we go looking for them?" Glimmer asks, a bow in one hand, a quiver thrown over one shoulder.

"For who?" Cato asks, and Glimmer smiles coyly at him. I feel like throwing up. I feel something else, too. Almost ... angry.

"You know, the other tributes. We've got to get them sometime, don't we?" She says, and I stand up.

"She's right," I say. "We should go. One of us should stay here, because we can't have anybody stealing the supplies. Marvel, you keep watch."

Marvel curses under his breath. "Why can't Loverboy do it?"

"Because, Marvel," I say as if talking to a two-year old. "If we do that, Loverboy will probably try something stupid. And that will just be a lot more tiring for us."

We walk away then, Glimmer, Cato and Loverboy. I despise all of them. Glimmer now has her arm wrapped around Cato, and I'm resisting the urge to plant a knife in her back. Loveboy's walking beside me. He's quiet. Probably scared.

The woods are quiet, except for a few birds. But there's thirteen tributes hidden in here, and we have to find them. I have knives lining my jacket, and one in my hand. Glimmer has her bow knocked, and Cato has his sword in his hand. We didn't really bother to give Loverboy a weapon, but he looks so sad I hand him one of my knives, warning him if he tries anything he'll be on the ground.

Then, we hear something. A crunching noise, the same sound you'd get when walking on leaves. It gets closer, and then we find her. The girl from District Seven, hiding behind a bush. Glimmer's arrow embeds itself in her forehead. I have to admit, her aim's good.

We leave, and walk around more. Then, we hear the canons. Eleven of them, and then a little while later, Seven's canon.

"That was a good shot," Cato says to Glimmer, and she laughs.

"Happy you liked it," she says. "You can watch anytime."

My face is burning, and I'd like nothing more than to kill both of them. Being alone with Loveryboy would be better. At least he knows when to shut up.

We find a boy a little while later, and he tries to run. I'm the fastest out of all of them, so I race off behind him, but I don't throw my knives. I wait until I'm on top of him. He's struggling and squirming, and then I slit his throat.

Peeta looks disgusted. I purposely flick one of my knives in his direction, and it splatters blood all over his face. I smile down at the ground.

I think of what my father thinks right now. Is he proud? Surprised that I actually might win? I think of his harsh words before I left for the Capitol. _You've made a big mistake, girl. You can't win. At least it's one less mouth to feed._.

If Cato had found out, he would have beaten him to a pulp, no questions asked. Or maybe he wouldn't have. Him volunteering showed just how much I meant to him. We used to have each others backs, but now it's as if a wall is between us now. And as much as I hate it, I can't take it down.

But it doesn't matter. Cato will be dead in weeks, and I'll be the victor. The thought of him dead after being my friend for so long sends a pang through me, but I ignore it. I've been taught all my life to ignore feelings, emotions. It comes easily now.

It's getting dark, and we head back to the lake. It's cold now, and I can just imagine Cato and Glimmer snuggling together in my tent. The image sends a wave of anger through me.

When we make it back to camp, I storm into my tent angrily. I grab my sleeping bag and crawl into it. Through the thin fabric of the tent, I can just barely see the silhouette of the moon. I close my eyes, and turn over on my side.


	2. Chapter 2: The Friend Facade

I wake up to the sound of birds chirping merrily. For a moment, I'm confused. Why am I in a tent? Why is there a blonde girl lying a few feet away from me, snoring softly?Then I remember where I am. The shock is so plain it feels like a bucket of icy water splashed in my face. For a moment, the faces of the children I have killed flood before my eyes, and I want to go back home. But then I take a deep breath, and quietly exit the tent. I can't show any weaknesses. Not here. Not now.

Everyone appears to still be asleep, even Cato, who took the last watch. He's leaning on his side on the ground. I sit down beside him, my knees tucked up to my chin. He looks peaceful in sleep, different. Younger, softer. He doesn't look like a boy who can kill a person without batting an eye. But he is. He always has been.

Another pang of regret hits me. I wish we could go back to the days where he always had my back and I always had his. _But there's no going bac_**k**, I tell myself sternly. _Toughen up._

It's barely dawn, so the blue sky is just beginning to rise up around me. It's so beautiful, that for a moment, I forget that it's fake. It's only a projection of the real thing. That's all the Capitol is. Fake.

I absentmindedly take out one of my knives and twirl it around my fingers, staring out into the direction of the lake, which looks calm and peaceful. I'm so far away, so lost in my thoughts I don't notice when Cato 's even breathing stops.

I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I whirl around, a knife ready. Cato grins at me. He yawns, and stretches his arms above his head. He looks so laid back. How can he be?

"Morning," he says, cracking his knuckles. "Sorry I fell asleep."

I glare at him. "You should be more careful," I warn him. "What if someone came to camp? They could have slit all our throats, no problem."

Cato grins easily at me. "Nah," he says, brushing me off. "We're the big bad Careers. Nobody would dare do that."

I raise my eyebrows as he walks away. He's wrong. Ther'e more then a handful of people who would do that, the Everdeen girl included. The thought of her makes me uneasy. A tribute from Twelve shouldn't be such a threat, but I'm worried she is. I want her dead.

Cato returns with his hands filled with something. He sits back down beside me. I eye him warily. What is he trying to do? Yesterday, he was ignoring me. Now, this?

"Here," he says, handing me a fork and a can of something. It's stew. "I brought breakfast."

"Thanks," I mumble, taking one of my knives and puncturing the lid. I cut out the lid in a jagged circle, and begin to eat. It's good, just as good as the rest of the Capitol food. The first time I ate Capitol food on the train, it was strange. Back at District Two, we had to be on strict diets. Cato hated it, calling it rabbit food. But even he knew that he had to adhere by it.

"How you feeling?" Cato asks with a mouth full of ravioli.

I eye him cautiously again. "Fine," I say warily. "Why?"

He's about to answer, but then he stops and closes his mouth. Somewhere behind us, a branch snaps. It's in the direction of the forest. At the same time, Cato and I both get up. Quietly, Cato unsheathes his sword, and we began making our way soundlessly towards the forest. Closer now, we hear another snap. Suddenly it's just like old times, Cato and I. For now, we have each others backs.

I hear breathing. It's faint, but I can hear it. I walk in the direction of it, and stop in front of a large bush. Large enough to conceal a person, even if they're a decent size. I walk around it slowly, and then I see him. Large, intelligent blue eyes, filled with fear. Just a boy. Maybe fourteen.

I lunge for him, but Cato gets there first, grabbing him by the shoulders. He wears a crazy grin on his face that makes him look truly deranged.

"Thought you could hide, huh?" he says, slowly unsheathing his sword. I stand, watching, as if frozen into place.

"Wait!" the boy squeaks, but Cato conitinues to draw out his sword slowly. I realize that the boy's eyes are exactly the colour of my younger sister's. The boy looks so vulnerable that I garb Cato's wrist. He turns around to look at me, shocked.

"At least listen to him," I reason. Cato gives me a look I can't comprehend. It's almost amusement. I have a feeling I'm going to get a lot of crap for this later.

"Alright then," he says slowly. He turns toward the boy. "We're listening. Give us a reason why we shouldn't kill you."

The boy takes a shaky breath. "I can protect your food for you. Not just guarding it. I can dig up the mines they use for the first 60 seconds. That way if anyone tries to get your food, they won't."

I raise my eyebrows, then turn towards Cato. He looks pretty sceptical.

"What's the harm?" I say, shrugging. "If he's lying, we can kill him easily enough."

Cato gives me a snide look. "Now who's defending the helpless?" he snarls. I scowl at him, and then gesture for the boy to go in front of us. We walk back towards camp. The silence that follows is long and awkward.

When we get back to camp, everyone else is awake. Marvel grins when he sees us with the boy. Glimmer stares at me and Cato walking side by side and gives me what she probably thinks is an intimidating glare. I smile at her and pull out one of my knives casually. She looks away.

"Who's this?" Marvel says, grinning at us. His hair's a crazy mess.

"District Three," Cato says, folding his arms and rolling his eyes at me. "Apparently he can help us by digging up the mines and placing them around our food so nobody can get to it."

Glimmer squints. "But.. how would we get to it then?"

I nod reluctantly. "That is a good question. How _would_ we be able to get to it?"

The boy doesn't recoil from the question. He's expecting this. "I'll place them in such a way that you can get to them easily," he says.

Cato raises his eyebrows, but he doesn't say anything.

"Fine," I say in a low voice. "We'll see what happens. But try anything, and you're dead, alright?"

The boy nods, fear growing back into his features. "Alright."

I turn away, feeling Cato's eyes burning into the back of my head. I whip back around, glaring at him.

"What?" I snap, folding my arms. He's looking at me in a way I don't like at all. It's something like pity and amusement, all mixed together.

"Nothing," he says with a small smile, looking at the ground. "Nothing at all."

He's unnerving me now. What's made him become so sentimental towards me all of a sudden? Does he think we can really keep it up, the friend facade, throughout the course of the games? He must know and understand that within two weeks, one of us will be dead. The thought sends a hollow pang through me, but I ignore it.

I sit down on one of the crates of food, watching as Marvel and the boy start digging up the mines. But I'm not really watching them, I'm thinking of home. Thinking of my sister, Tayana. She acutally is the reason why I saved that boy, why I didn't kill him. I've always had a weak spot for her. She's fair and blond, the picture of innocence. Very much unlike me, dark and angular. I refuse to have her start training for the games, although my father wants her to. But what he wants doesn't really matter, because it's me who took care of her when he was down at the bar, trying to pick up girls my age, maybe even younger. I still have to take care of her, when he's in one of his moods. If I wasn't in the house with her after he came home from the bar, he'd probably beat her the way he did to my mother before she died.

They blamed it on a heart attack, but deep down I know it was suicide. She couldn't take it any more. It still stung a little bit, thinking how she'd left her two daughters to face a man much bigger and stronger. But that's when I started going to training, taking Tayana with me and having her sit on the side. Soon, I became strong, too. Not just physically, but mentally. For years, I had been constantly told that caring or having mercy would get you nowhere in the games, all it would get you was a nice knife in the back, or somewhere less desirable. I refused to let that happen to my little sister.

I jump a little bit when someone sits down beside me. It's Marvel. He's grinning easily, looking happy.

"Well, at least not we won't have to leave someone behind when we hunt," he says. "It'll be much easier to take Katpiss down."

I grin at him. "She's such a joke. The Girl On Fire, with her pretty little flames and sponsors will be no more within a week. I'll make sure of it."

Marvel whistles appreciatively. "I can't wait to see you and Cato fight over who gets to kill her. That is when sparks really will fly."

I smile. It's easy to be around Marvel. He's never serious. I find myself laughing at everything he says, when suddenly Cato calls us over.

"The mines are set up," he says. "Now, who wants to go hunting?"

Glimmer squeals in delight, like a little blonde piglet. I raise my eyebrows at Cato, and silently grab a backpack filled with essentials, and head off with Marvel, who's still cracking jokes. I hear Cato and Glimmer behind us, but remarkably I don't care. We're all in fabulous moods, all laughing and joking. We find a tribute shortly after dark, who's stupid enough to make a fire. The girls' screams echoed all around us, then finally Glimmer slashes her throat.

But there's no canon. Everyone starts arguing, even some sword are drawn, when Peeta, of all people, announces that we're wasting time. He goes back and checks, and finally, the boom of the canon rings out. He looks sickened with all of us. I roll my eyes.

We don't find anyone else that night. We decide that it's be better to just sleep in the woods instead of heading back to camp. That way, we can start early. We start a fire, and sit for a few minutes. Then, slowly, everyone goes to bed.

I'm assigned to first watch, Cato second. So I lean against the trunk of the tree, listening to the sounds. It's oddly peaceful, the silence. But I know how fake it is, how the Capitol could destroy it within seconds. The thought makes me withdraw one of my knives from the inside of my jacket.

Cato's still awake. It's the fire reflecting in his eyes that gives him away. At first I consider speaking up, but I decide not to. He probably wants time to think and clear his head. I understand. No matter what, I still know Cato like the back of my hand, like it or not.

**OOOHH. angsty Clove yet again! So, did you guys enjoy this chapter? Let me know, because reviews make my day! I will be updating this story mostly on Wednesdays. **


	3. Chapter 3: Only Three Left

"_You'll win, won't you?" Tayana asked, her blue eyes wide with innocence. So young._

_I smiled at her, careful not to show her what a wreck I was. How scared I was for her, to leave her alone with my father. "Of course I will, Taya. Then you and I cane live in a big house all by ourselves."_

"_Daddy won't be there?" she asked, gripping my hands. I nodded at her._

"_No," I said, a small smile on my face. "Daddy won't be there. It'll be just us. Does that sound good?"_

_She smiled at me, her smile seemingly lighting up the room. "Okay! See you when you get back!" She hugs me tightly, and I breathe in her scent, which is distinctly flowery. That's trange, since there are hardly any flowers at all in Two. Then, the Peacekeepers come and guide her out of the room. She is gone. Left alone to defend herself._

(**)

"Wake up!" a rough voice snarls at me, shaking me by the shoulders. "Wake up!"

I'm yanked up by my shoulders. My eyes snap open, and I reach for one of my knives. But it's just Cato. His face is frantic, searching. Then, I notice it. All around us, the forest is covered with fire. I yell out, mostly in surprise, and jump out of my sleeping position. I grab a pack, and sling it across my back. I don't even check to make sure I have all of my knives. Right now, I need to save myself. I have to.

The fire is like a wall, surrounding us and inclosing us. We're trapped. Suddenly, my Career instincts kick into gear, and I'm searching for every possible escape route. My chances aren't good, I realize with a jolt. _Oh well, _I think to myself bitterly. _At least it'll be a good show. _

We're all standing there, us, the unstoppable Careers, when I notice one of the nearby trees. Surprisingly, it hasn't caught fire yet. Without thinking of just how badly this could play out, I race for it, and sling myself up it's branches. If I get high enough, maybe I can launch myself over this wall of fire and head back to the lake. Finally, once I'm twenty feet up or so, I take a dep breath and without hesitating, I launch myself from the branch. There's a sensation of floating as I come dangerously close to the fire.

Then I hit the ground with a gasp. I kneel over, gasping and retching because of the smoke. The wind has been knocked out of me, and I'd like nothing better then to curl up somewhere and stay there. But I can't. I am a Career, and we do not do that.

"Come on!" I shriek at Cato, who is watching me. "_Come on_!"

They all begin to do what I did, climbing high up the tree and flinging themselves over the wall of fire. First, Marvel. Then Glimmer.

Cato climbs up the tree, the branches almost snapping as he puts his weight on them. Then, as I watch and fight the urge to leave, he flies over. He is so close to hitting the fire that it actually catches on the back of his jacket. But he's safe, at least for now, and that's all the reason I need. I dig my feet into the ground and run, as fast as I can, over burning logs and rocks, not stopping once to see if the others are keeping up. _They have to die sometime, Clove,_ I remind myself. _Better this way._

I finally reach the camp, clutching my burning sides. I throw myself into the lake, and start laughing with relief. The cool water on my parched skin is so pleasant, I actually sigh. Then, I see the others racing into camp. Glimmer, Marvel and Loverboy. A shiver of disappointment runs through me. It would have been better if they had died there. Easier.

They all get into the water, sighing as it soothes their burns. Cato gives me a look as he stands in the water, half-drenched. It didn't escape him, how I left them back at the fire. He knows the choice I made. But I know that he'd have done the same thing. He knows it too. Maybe that's why he doesn't call me out for it. I remember Lyme, my mentor's words. "_You and Cato used to be close, Clove. I know that. I know it is hard. But to get out of this arena alive, you have to give him up. Because that's what he's doing. That's what he's already done._"

Maybe that's what that was back there. Maybe that was me, giving him up, letting him go. The guilt that plasters me as I look at him hurts, but not as much as it would have a few years ago. The boy that stands in the water before me isn't my friend anymore, or my ally. He is my opponent. Finally, with an air of relief, I accept that. To win, I must kill him. I will.

I step out of the water, and take off my jacket, which the water is clinging to. I squeeze the water out, and toss it off. Already, I'm freezing cold, but it's better than being the stifling hot I was when I was in that wall of fire. I think of how that must have been a token to Katpiss. My desire to kill her grows even more.

(**)

I feel a hand on my shoulder as we sit around the fire. I jerk around, a knife already in my hand, but it's just Cato.

"We need to talk," he says. I frown with displeasure. Glimmer gives me scornful look. I don't even acknowledge her. Cato's eyes are dead serious, and I can tell he's furious at me. It doesn't take a genius to know what about.

I shrug, and follow him deeper into the forest, until we're out of earshot. He glares at me, folding his arms. I raise my eyebrows at him, not interested in having some bullshit heart-to-heart. I'm done with him and his games.

"What is it, Cato?" I ask, my voice steely. I glare up at him, a knife in my hand just in case this goes south.

"What was that, Clove? Leaving me back at the fire, just ditching us while you ran?" he snarls. Even to me, he looks pretty intimidating. The Gamemakers must already be preparing my canon. But they don't know him. I do.

"That was me, doing exactly what you would have done," I say, my eyes narrowed. My fingers grip the knife tighter as he takes a deep breath.

"Oh, really? Because I had a chance to do that, Clove. I could have left you sleeping on the ground, and we could have left," he says, his hands curled into fists.

This realization hits me. He's right. He could have left me for dead. But he didn't. Guilt hits me, but I just stare up at him with an expressionless face. He's panting now. He's furious. All I can think is what delightful entertainment this must be for the Capitol.

"But you didn't," I say finally, my voice cool. "Because you knew I could find a way out, because you know I'm smarter than you."

He snarls, at a loss for words. I just stare up at him.

"No," he says, shaking now. "I saved you because you're my district partner. We're supposed to look out for each other!"

I start laughing then. This whole thing is suddenly hilarious. If Cato thinks he can get me back on his side, he's wrong.

"Cut the bullshit, Cato," I snarl. "We both know that District partners don't look out for each other. We're in a fight to the death. So excuse me, but I'm not going to save your sorry ass anytime soon. I'm going back home."

I walk away then, my face red with anger. I'd like nothing better than to stick a knife right in his forehead. So why don't I? What's stopping me all of a sudden? I mentally scream at myself for being such a weak little girl. I sit back down at the fireside, and whip out one of my knives. I slam it into the ground, over and over again. Everyone's watching me warily.

Cato comes back a little while later, still red in the face. I make the mistake of glancing over at him, and he gives me a deadly glare. I give it back at him. I can feel the anger bubbling up between us and I know that it's only a matter of time before one of us offs the other. And it sure isn't going to be me.

We wait around the fire until our clothes are dry, coughing and hacking. Finally, we decide to go hunting. We gather up our weapons, and begin to make our way around the forest. Almost everything has been ruined by the fire. The grass is burned to a crisp, so our footsteps could be heard from practically miles away.

That's when we find her. The beloved little Girl on Fire. Suddenly, her name is ironic, because as she runs away from us, I spot a burn on her calf. It's a bad one. I grin as she limps away from us. There's no way she'll escape this one.

She climbs quickly and skillfully up one of the many trees. My eyes narrow. What doesn't she know? So far, Loverboy and I are the only ones not whooping and shouting at her. I glance at him suspiciously. He better not try anything funny.

But soon, I'm feeling pretty good when Glimmer tries to use her bow and misses. But then it vanishes as quickly as it came when Katniss starts calling out her smartass remarks. I wish she'd fall, then I'd make sure she'd shut up.

Then, we start arguing over how we'll get her down. Surprisingly, Lover Boy speaks up.

"Why don't we just wait her out? It's not like she's going anywhere," he says harshly.

I roll my eyes. What else are we supposed to do?

Then we start setting up a fire. I sit down on the ground, looking up at Katniss, her face in contorted in pain. I smile to myself as she glances at me. Within a day, she'll be dead. The idea of her on the ground, the canon booming, makes me grin with sick pleasure.

I look over when I hear the sound of laughter. Glimmer's snuggled up to Cato, who is laughing and whispering to her. I roll my eyes, trying to not look as angry as I feel. But I can't shake the anger I feel every time I hear her giggle, and Cato laugh.

Slowly I fall asleep, my back against the tree.

(**)

I wake again to the sound of screaming. I leap to my feet, and feel horrible stings everywhere- my hands, my neck.. I look around and see a nest on the ground, bees swarming around it. Tracker Jackers. We had a few back around District Two, but not many.

I run off, swatting and trying to protect my body the best I can. I trip several times, but keep going. The bloodlust, along with adrenalin, that runs throughout me almost scares me. I want nothing more than to kill her. I want to see her scream as my knife pierces her skin. Katniss Everdeen must die.

I reach camp, and dive into the lake, the cold water soothing my stings. It seems that this is becoming a habit. I turn around, and I realize that once again, I've left the others for dead. Great. Cato will be in a fabulous mood.

Shortly, Marvel and Cato come running through the bush and dive into the lake after me. Glimmer isn't with them. I find a smile stretching slowly through my lips. Is she really dead? That seems like too much to hope for, but then the canon rings out, and I fight the urge to cheer. But I do allow myself to keep the smile on my face as I get out from the water.

I sit down, shivering once again. I see Cato glaring at me, and I give him a demeaning smile. He glares at me more. I roll my eyes. _Who does he think he is?_


	4. Chapter 4: A New Angle

I'm shivering by the time night falls. While jumping into the water probably saved my life, I find myself regretting it. I could probably freeze from this cold. I check in the pile of food for matches, and spend almost half-an hour trying to find them. When I'm finally able to light the fire, I only get a few precious minutes with it before Cato announces it's time to go hunting.

I roll my eyes and glare at him viciously. "Perfect timing," I mutter under my breath, though loud enough for Cato to hear. He's still pissed off at me, I can tell from the way he looks at me. Tough.

I begrudgingly hitch one of the spare backpacks over my shoulder, and head off with the others into the dark woods. It's silent, like it's just us. But there are people in here, one of those people being Katniss. I fantasize carving her face as we walk through the large forest. I find myself smiling at the horrid but satisfying memories. Though she did kill Glimmer, she also tried to kill _me_. And these stings already hurt like hell. I'm wondering to myself how I could kill her before Cato when the man himself stride up beside me. I give him a suspicious look.

"Good news," he says. I narrow my eyes even more. What could be good news? But then again, Glimmer did die today... "I think I finished off Loverboy today."

I find myself actually grinning at Cato. "Really? How?"

He grins proudly. "Got him on the thigh, real deep. You were right, you know. He's a little traitor. I caught him trying to help Katpiss. Unfortunately, she got away before I could get to her, too."

"We'll find her," I say in a sure voice. "Then we'll kill her, nice and slow."

"An excellent plan," Cato says. I'm about to reply when I hear a faint snap of a branch. Instantly, my muscles go on alert, and one of my knives is in my hand. I hear the sound of Cato's sword unsheathing. I wait a moment, then there's the sound of another twig snapping. It's nearer now. I try my best to silently prowl through the twig-ridden land. I turn around and the violent snapping behind me, and look threateningly back at Marvel, who instantly recoils. Soon enough, I see him. The crippled boy from 10.

But he sees me too, not long after. Almost instantly, he sends something flying at me. The object slashes across the side of my leg, sending a wrenching, burning sensation through me. That little bastard has a knife, I realize. I snarl, and race towards the boy, who pathetically tries to hobble away. He turns around soon enough to see me fly into him, pinning him yo the ground.

"You're gonna pay for that 10 times over, kid," I snarl at the boy. His face contorts in fear- he knows it's over for him. I withdraw one of my knives from my vest, and twirl it in my fingers as I look at him, contemplating how I should kill him. I have to make it good - this could get me more sponsors. I start by slashing him in the leg, just like he did to me. Only much, much deeper. He howls in pain as blood begins draining from the wound. I smile sadistically. A voice in the back of my mind tells me quietly to end it now, but I carry on.

"Must suck for you," I drawl, tracing the knife over his arms. Marvel and Cato stand beside me, looking intrigued and horrified at the same time. "You know, having a bad leg. You must have known you were dead from the start. Tell me, how did it feel saying goodbye to your family?"

A wave of rage comes over the boy's face. He tries desperately to unseat me, but I've got too good a hold on him. I take one of his wrists, my grip hard as iron, and make a thin cut on it. Not deep enough to bleed him out immediately, but enough to make him howl in agony. I smile again.

Then, fed up with his howling, I suddenly take the knife and plunge it into his throat. Blood sprays everywhere, all over me and anywhere in a five foot radius. After a moment, the canon sounds. I wipe the blood off of my face with a grim smile. Standing up, I kick the boy in the stomach, making him roll over on his back. I wipe my hands off on my pants.

"Let's go," I order, starting off in a new direction. Cato and Marvel are surprisingly silent. They're probably sickened by my little act. _They need to toughen up_, I think to myself. Then, I remember Tayana's watching. A wave of regret plows through me. What person would want to see their sister do that to a crippled kid? To _anyone?_

I must look upset. I wipe my face clear of any emotion, trying to calm myself down. Suddenly, Cato's beside me.

"Good job," he whispers, sending a chill through my spine. "I liked watching that."

I brush him off, scoffing. Deep down, this unnerves me. Is this a new angle he's playing for the audience? Sadistic and seductive killer? Well, creepy as it is, it will certainly line up the sponsors for him.

"You could certainly take a few pointers from it," I whisper to him. He stiffens, as if he can't believe what I just said. I smile. _Take that_. The sponsors must be lining up for me, too. After all I've done in the past half-hour, well, this must be entertaining to say the least.

_What would you sister think? _A voice in the back of my head echoes. I push it away. I can't afford thoughts like these. Not anymore.


End file.
